There are pretty much only three varieties of hope,
the ultimate hope of faith, the enthusiastic hope of the prematurely
optimistic and the realistic hope of
the prepared.

ENTER THE NEW YEAR &
REALISTIC HOPE

A reflection from

A quiet neighborhood somewhere in Idaho

Jan 1, 2011.

I awoke today to a sunlit
morning, snow almost painfully brilliant under a clear sky – the chill outside
air hovering just above zero Fahrenheit. I stepped outside and took a breath of
morning.The day was headed towards a
balmy 9 as the sunlight’s energy slowly penetrates the still.

My overwhelming
impression was one of safety and security, inside a zone of shared common sense
and optimism, grounded in common preparation.I knew that in this spot there are well-prepared, realistic neighbors,
who form a community-in-fact that can ultimately be counted on to do the right
thing when the right thing is demanded of them.

They and I (part
time in my case) live in a state that is thinly populated to be sure, but also
consistently occupies the top tier of the fastest growing populations in the USA.By
far it is the most stable of that group.Yes, even here, the state government is struggling under the same fiscal
constraints that have hobbled 49 others.Unlike California, however, this state has taken seriously the
notion that a government should live within its means.During earlier budget cycles, when the
no-longer-golden state was simply carrying forward an insurmountable debt load
to the next fiscal year, this state was running a surplus, putting money aside
in a rainy day fund.

As the recession
holds back income, real budget cutting is taking place, in households and
statehouse alike, sharply reducing the public payroll.Unlike CA, these cuts are real; they actually
generate a real balanced budget.

And business startups
and people continue to trickle in.When
the actual recovery cuts in, it will be stronger in places like this one where
on a sunlit morning at a balmy 9 degrees above zero people are secure inside a
zone of shared common sense and optimism, grounded in common preparation.

Unlike LakeWobegone, not everyone here is above average, bus
everyone is accountable, and
therein is the difference on which realistic hope is founded.